Playing Cards
by Spottedeyes
Summary: I lost... I played along perfectly... if only I had known... Their little game with me was... so... obvious. Yet I didn't figure it out until it was too late...


Playing Cards

**My first one-shot, so I don't know how this is going to be quality wise.**

My name is Touko White… and I… I just… I just… _failed. _This isn't getting an F on an exam in school… this isn't failing to keep a promise… nor to fail to keep a secret… this is far worse. This is far beyond the average fail… I didn't just let people down... but I let the Pokémon down too… He played me…

_I formed a fist, my eyes glittering and gleaming with triumph and hope, with my new Pokémon perched on my shoulder. "Just you and me, Snivy! No more school work, no more tests or exams." I giggled. "Yep, it's just you and me now, Snivy." _That's where it began. My false confidence… my false security… it all happened in that Pokémon laboratory, my friends by my side to witness the fall of Touko White from the beginning.

_"Purr, loin purr!" Purrloin purred, brushing it's purple fur against my cheek. _I can still find the purple fur ensnared in the fibers of that shirt… And the rush of capturing a Pokémon for the first time… capturing a friendship like that, forging it from the very beginning… is a rush that can never be forgotten… It will be forever engraved into my skull… forever burned into the fine pure fibers of the fabric of my memory… It will stay until the day I join Arceus…

_" Your Pokémon... Just now, it was saying..." A boy my age began, speaking too fast for my taste. "Excuse me? My Pokémon did what?" I had asked, my voice skeptical. _ _"Yes, they're talking. Oh. Then, you can't hear it, either... How sad. My name is N." I shook his hand, still eyeing him with confusion. "My name's Touko… pleased to… meet you?" I said awkwardly, stepping back until there was a better distance between us. "Yes… my name is Touko. Me and some of my other friends are filling out Unova's pokedex." I said choppily, trying to find something that every person could talk about, relate to in some way. "The pokedex, eh? So... You're going to confine many, many Pokémon in pokeballs for that, then. I'm a trainer, too, but I can't help wondering... Are Pokémon really happy that way?"_ _My eyes narrowed. "Snivy and Purrloin-" I was interrupted by the strange boy once more. "Well, Touko, is it? Let me hear your Pokémon's voice again!"_ It started then… when I began to trip, to stumble, to tread the wrong path, the one that wasn't mine to follow. He began to play me… to make me stumble down my wrong path.

_"Stop it! You're hurting it!" Bianca cried, tearing up as the Plasma grunts abused the Munna. "Mun…" It cried softly, cringing as every harsh blow damaged it's near perfect, soft, pure being. I stepped forward, sympathy and rage fueling my movements. An annoyed glint flickered in one grunt's gaze, he stepped towards me, pulling her one and only poke ball from her belt. "No! Don't hurt Touko!" Bianca cried, looking worriedly at me as I pulled Snivy's ball from my belt. "Go, Purrloin!" "Go Snivy!" The battle began. "Purrloin, scratch!" The grunt commanded. "Jump to the side and trip it!" I commanded, determined to win this for Munna. The Purrloin tripped and skidded into the grass, giving me the upper hand. "Razor leaf!" "Get up and dodge!" Snivy was faster than Purrloin, slicing into the purple cat's flesh. It hurt a little, it felt as if my own Purrloin was getting hurt. Spirals of defeat flooded the Pokémon's gaze as Purrlion laid dazed on the grass and concrete. The other grunt stopped kicking the Munna, releasing a Patrat. "Patrat, bite!" "Snivy, dodge and get behind him then use razor leaf!" I commanded. Snivy nodded, easily jumping over the attacking Pokémon, hitting the rat Pokémon square in the back of the head, knocking the Pokémon out. _Yes, Munna had gotten away unscathed, it's minor bruises and cuts healed. It was clear that… despite the grunt's determination… despite their abuse of the wild Munna… It was all a trick. Part of the game that was being played… fill me with artificial confidence… artificial strength… the grunts had no intention of getting dream mist… I had just been played a little further into their plan… into their… game…

_Pleasure lit up my eyes as Chili's Pansear slammed into the ground, knocked out by my Purrloin. I patted Purrloin's head, praising the Pokémon to the point of discomfort. "That was one fiery hot battle! Here," Chili handed me the shiny new Trio Badge. I snatched the small badge, pinning the tri-colored badge to the inside of my jacket. _True, real, live, inartificial confidence in my abilities blossomed at that gym… with Purrloin and Snivy… but the already artificial contents mixed with my natural confidence… tainting it for good… however… a piece of the same pleasure will forever gleam in my eyes, no matter how much they dull… no matter what loss I suffer… be it death or a mere Pokémon battle…

_ "S-Snivy? Are you ok? W-what's happening to you?" I stuttered, my eyes wide as Snivy became engulfed in light. "SNIVY!" I cried, the evolution of a Pokémon foreign to me. The light disappeared, revealing a larger version of Snivy, some of her features had changed but I still recognized my starter. "Serv…" Servine cried. I looked at Servine's eyes, they were glassy with no pupils, it looked almost as if a Pokémon had begun shedding but hadn't gotten the dead skin off its eyes. "G-good battle, Servine." I smiled, patting Servine on the head. _The evolution of a Pokémon is always exciting, exhilarating, and a real eye opener. Especially when it's your starter Pokémon, the Pokémon who's been by my side since I left Nuema Town… That fear that I felt… when I didn't realize that it was evolution… it will always cling to my heart… forever and always…

_"Let's go show Lenora who's boss, Liepard!" I cheered, leading my newly evolved Pokémon closer to the museum where the gym was. I reached for the handle, only for the door to swing open abruptly, nearly slamming into my face. I flinched and quickly stepped back, my eyes wide with surprise. N appeared, pushing me back a little before speaking his riddles. "I... want to see things no one can see. The truths of Pokémon inside Poké Balls. The ideals of how Trainers should be. And a future where Pokémon have become perfect... Do you feel the same?" I blinked in surprise. "Erm, yeah I guess." _ A slight grin formed on his face. _"That so? I think my friends and I should test you to see if you can see this future, too."_ _I sighed in annoyance as he reached for a poke ball, releasing a Tympole. "Liepard, go!" I commanded, sending Liepard into battle. "Pard!" Liepard snarled, lunging at the smaller, frail water-ground type. "Roll out of the way, my friend!" N cried, watching as Tympole narrowly dodged Liepard. "Liepard, pursuit!" "Lie!" Liepard snarled, attacking Tympole ferociously. Liepard, being an evolved form and having several more levels on her than Tympole, destroyed him in one hit. N looked sympathetically at Tympole as he returned the Pokémon, sending out a Pidove. My eyes narrowed in confidence, knowing that Liepard's nature would make this an easy catch. "Pidove, gust!" "Liepard, dodge it then hone claws!" I commanded, watching Liepard swiftly dodge the powerful gust of wind, sharpening her claws on a nearby fence post. "Now, slash attack!" To my surprise, N didn't react. Liepard easily claimed victory once again, looking quite pleased as the red beam pulled back the defeated Pidove. "Timburr, go!" N called emotionlessly. I looked skeptically at N, but didn't stop battling. Even with N having the advantage over Liepard, I won again without Liepard even breaking a sweat. "I cannot see the future yet... The world is still to be determined..." N said truthfully before stepping away from me and ushering more words._ _"Right now, my friends aren't strong enough to save all Pokémon. Maybe I can't solve the equation that will change the world. So, I need power... Power enough to make anyone agree with me." I looked at N as if he was insane, but to my surprise he continued and ignored my puzzled expression. "Now I know what power I need. Reshiram! The legendary Pokémon that, along with the hero, created the Unova region. It's my turn to become that hero-and you and I will be friends!" _That was the battle that nurtured the artificial confidence in Liepard's ability even more… cushioning her ego… preserving my pride with its chemicals… making my pride and dignity more fragile than it should've been. I lost to Lenora after that battle… That hurt… I continued to stumble, but failed to take notice…

_"What? Do you really think that I do the heavy lifting around here? I don't have the dragon skull." The grunt said truthfully to me, squeezing another grunt of frustration from me. I shoved her out of my way, my newly caught Venipede perched on my shoulder, and my Blitzle running by my side. I clambered through more moss and dirt, through more tree trunks and up more hills, plowing through grunt after grunt, until I reached a large clearing. One of the seven sages, Gorm, stood in the center, a grunt at his side, the skull clutched in his hands. My eyes narrowed, Venipede began to hiss on my shoulder at the sage. Before Gorm could even open his mouth, Lenora and Burgh joined me. "The bug Pokémon were getting all worked up so we went this way." Burgh grinned, his Leavanny at his side. The sage quickly grew nervous at the sight of two gym leaders and a trainer. He whispered something to his grunt, dropping the skull and making a run for it. I plucked it off the ground, beaming as I handed it to Lenora, who graciously accepted it. _Even the sages were on it at this point… Treating my journey as if I was merely a pawn on a chess board… they lured me further and further from reality… until reality itself was too far away for me to grasp…

_Anger seethed through me as Burgh and I raced up and down the bustling streets of Castelia city in pursuit of a Pokémon thief who had jumped a girl and stole her Pokémon. My chest heaving, I stopped, my hands resting on my knees as I looked for the thief. Burgh gave a sigh. "Come on, let's go meet up with the victim to get a better description of t he thief." Burgh decided, leading me onto the main dock for the big ships. I nodded, not having any better ideas. _

_My eyes grew round as I saw Bianca on her knees sobbing, a big haired girl trying to console her. "Bianca? What happened?" I asked, my eyes narrowed. "M-my… my Munna! She's gone! The-they took her!" Bianca sobbed, her face bright red. I opened my mouth to speak, however, another voice spoke instead. "Hehe- oh shit! A gym leader!" We whipped around to see a Team Plasma grunt behind us, looking surprised. He froze, making it easy to surround him. _

We got Bianca's Pokémon back… but now I know that there was… a glint of dishonesty in that grunt's gaze… a glint of humor… a glint of… of… _enjoyment_… That grunt… he let himself be captured… he captured Munna only to nourish my dishonest confidence and pride… He played me as easily as everyone else…

_ "You're looking for Team Plasma, right? They ran into the amusement park. Come with me." N said. I nodded, following him into the amusement park. I looked around, my hand lingering near Servine's poke ball just in case. N looked around as well, quite briefly too. "They're not here. Let's ride the Ferris wheel and see if we can spot them." N instructed, not waiting for my response, he shoved me inside. I shot him a glare before sitting down and looking outside the window, not saying a word. I nearly jumped out of my skin when he started talking, not expecting it. "I love Ferris wheels. The circular motion… The mechanics… They're like collections of elegant formulas." N continued, my integration growing as he spoke. I began to hang onto his every word until he swapped the topic. "First, I must tell you... I am the king of Team Plasma. Ghetsis asked me to work with him to save Pokémon. I wonder how many Pokémon exist in this world..." My heart skipped a beat, goose bumps exploding up and down my arms and legs. I didn't say a word. We sat in silence until the Ferris Wheel came to a stop, where I promptly rushed out of the cart. I glared daggers as four grunts came into my view. The approached, their concern for N quite obvious. "My lord! Are you alright?" One asked, returning my glare. "There's no problem." N said calmly, beginning to whisper to me. "You're part of the people we brought in to help us save the Pokémon. So, you're under my protection, as well." He whispered briefly, turning back to his grunts. "Go, quickly, and let my battle cover your retreat." The grunts nodded, shooting me another harsh glare. " ...Now then, Touko, do you follow my logic?" I nodded, pulling Servine's ball from my belt. "If true, your words please me. Ah. Then... The future I envision... Perhaps I can't beat you here and now, but I'll battle you to buy time for these members of Team Plasma to get away!" N released his first Pokémon, a Sandile. I sent out Servine, knowing that she would fare the best against the ground-dark type. "Sandile, crunch!" N cried. Sandile half-heartedly waddled towards Servine. I ignored the strange behavior of the Sandile. "Vine whip it's mouth shut then fling it!" I yelled, watching as Servine easily flung the crocodile into the air, the small Pokémon landing with a thud, spirals swirling in his eyes. I smiled at Servine. "Good job girl." I smiled. "The result was the same... But you... Who are you?" I stared blankly at N. "Like I said when we met, I am Touko White." I said simply. "You're quite strong. But I have a future that I must change. And, for that future... I'll defeat the Champion and become unbeatable, unlike any other! I'll make all Trainers free their Pokémon! Just try and stop me! If you want to be together with Pokémon, your only hope is to collect the Badges from each area and head for the Pokémon League! Try and stop me there, if you dare! If your conviction is not strong enough, you will never be able to defeat me."_ Only in that battle did I begin to sense a smaller, yet powerful conspiracy brewing in Team Plasma's core… all designed for me… yet I was too slow… I didn't grasp the intention quickly enough…

_"Zebstrika, flash." I commanded, watching as Zebstrika lit up the cold storage. Cheren nodded his approval. "Good idea." He complimented, adjusting his glasses. I returned Zebstrika, not wanting him to slip and hurt himself on the icy floors. I instead brought out Cinccino, who was more durable with the cold. Cheren and I easily crossed the icy floors, taking the workers down one by one until we reached a dead end. "It's a dead end… " Cheren said, his voice lined with confusion. I snapped my fingers. "I've got it!" I turned to Cinccino. "Cinccino, use your ears to listen for Team Plasma!" I commanded, feeling good for thinking of that. "Cinccino!" Cinccino cried, straining her ears. "Cinno! Cin!" Cinccino cried, pointing to a large steel container with light seeping out of it. Cheren and I exchanged excited glances before pinpointing the entrance, finding Gorm and all of the other escaped grunts huddled together, their breath clearly visible. My own breath formed white, hot clouds around my face. "Too easy." I smirked. _Pride is nothing more than… an illusion if you put it one way… a drug if you look at it from another angle… a false sense of security if you look into its affects on behavior…. perhaps even a disease. Pride… hah… had it once… had it twice… had it three times… had it through my whole childhood… after that first battle in Acumula town… it mutated into something unstable… something false… something… _deadly_.

_The blue crystals… they are memorizing, eye catching indeed… They make time stop in a way... I liked it. "Servine, come on out!" I cried, wanting to walk with my good friend. "Serv?" Servine asked sleepily, yawning. "Come on, you'll wake up once you start moving." I promised, walking through the electrical cavern. "Vine…" Servine complained, her laziness getting the better of her. I sighed, waiting impatiently for the grass Pokémon to catch up. I rolled my eyes and invited her onto my shoulders. Her pupil-less eyes brightened, she laid across my shoulders. I groaned. "You're really heavy, you know that?" Servine snickered a little, enjoying her ride. As we got deeper into the cave, Servine became tense, hissing at cave walls and occasionally the blue crystals. I shrugged it off though, for she did this quite often. I never really understood it though. Her hissing made my skin prickle a little. I picked up the pace. "Servine what's gotten into you? You usually don't do this for more than a few minutes!" I asked, getting a little bit concerned. Servine emitted a low growl, her tail rattling threateningly. I gasped as three white haired men dressed in black appeared around us, creating a circle so I couldn't escape. "It's pretty bad that you never noticed us…" "Yes… I don't know what Lord N sees in you…" "From what we've seen she isn't the brightest…" I glared at the third one to speak. "What do you three want?" I snapped, my hand dropping to my poke ball belt. The three began to shove me through the cave, despite my protests and Servine's growling and hissing. We quickly reached the end, where none other than N stood, clearly waiting for me. My eyes narrowed. "What do you want?" I hissed, not in the mood to be dealing with him. He looked slightly taken back by my comment. "Who are these-" I gasped as the three men disappeared into thin air. "Ah, yes. That was the Shadow Triad just now. Ghetsis enlisted them in Team Plasma. Apparently, they were the ones who prepared the Garvantula nest at the cave entrance." I gasped. "I was stuck in that stupid town forever because of that Garvantula nest!" N ignored me and continued. "Chargestone Cave... I like this place. Formulas express electricity and its connection to Pokémon... If people did not exist, this would be an ideal place. You have been chosen, you know. Does it surprise you I said that?" My eyes widened. "Um yeah kinda." "Of course. Such news should be a surprise." "Why me?" I asked, only to be ignored. " I told Ghetsis about you and your friends. After I did, he apparently used the Shadow Triad to find out about you. Cheren is pursuing the ideal of strength. Poor Bianca has faced the sad truth that not everyone can become stronger. And you are not swayed either way-more of a neutral presence. Which is apparently a good thing. Team Plasma will be waiting for you ahead. Ghetsis wants to see what kind of Pokémon Trainer you really are."_ _N finished, drawing a poke ball from his waist. I smirked and threw Scolipede out. Once again, the battle was easily won, using only one Pokémon… what's going on here? _Winning battles… The more I won… the more foolish I became… immersing myself in the pain of Pokémon… what was I thinking?

_'Brong… bring… brong…' The Celestial Tower bell rang, it soothed the spirits, putting them to rest, to find their peace. "Vine..." Servine sighed contently at the sound of the bell. I smiled as the breeze ruffled my hair in the breeze. _The lovely chime of that bell still echoes faintly in my mind… giving me hope… helping me keep my sanity down here… In the depths of my despair… that word… _hope_… it sounds foreign to me now…

_Another sound-shattering screech sounded from the floor above. I looked to Cheren and Bryce. "What should I-" "Go, Touko! We've got this! Go stop N!" Cheren cried, still battling the Plasma grunts. I nodded, running upstairs, Liepard by my side. Liepard and I both stared wide eyed at N, who had the massive, beautiful, powerful, Reshiram staring down at him. "Hell no…" I whispered. N caught sight of me, a grin plastered to his face. "This is it, Touko. Befriend Zekrom or sit back and watch Pokémon liberation take its course." N grinned, mounting Reshiram and flying away. _

This… this wasn't part of their artificial confidence plan with me… they were serious now… I began to trip…

_Confidence swelled inside me, having beat the Elite Four without much hassle. Serperior slithered up the stairs to where Alder's chambers where, only to find his Bouffant laying on the ground, defeated, Reshiram towering over the older man and his Pokémon. "N, stop this now!" I cried, hoping he would listen to reason. N laughed wickedly at me. "Never. Until Pokémon are free from humans, I will never stop!" I flinched at his words. "Serp…" Serperior hissed, rattling her tail. "Well I won't stop either! Not until you back down!" I snapped. N grinned. "You haven't figured it out yet, have you?" I tilted my head. "What do you mean?" I asked, concern welling up in my gut. "I've been playing you! I've been using weak Pokémon and letting you win on purpose! Same with my grunts and sages! And you played our game perfectly! No, flawlessly! Your Pokémon are way behind in the level department due to all of our interferences! You will be no match for me!" N laughed wickedly once more. My jaw dropped. It finally clicked. _Once the truth came out… once it clicked in my head… it was far too late… I should've backed down… headed to the airport while I had the chance… but I didn't… even with Zekrom's help… I… I… _lost. I fell…_


End file.
